CN105637305A

CN105637305A - Aircraft air chiller with reduced profile

Info

Publication number: CN105637305A
Application number: CN201480054852.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: Q·陆; W·J·戈代克尔; J·R·福布斯
Original assignee: Be Space Flight Co
Current assignee: Be Space Flight Co; BE Aerospace Inc
Priority date: 2013-10-01
Filing date: 2014-10-01
Publication date: 2016-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 2034-10-01
Also published as: US10021970B2; US20150089970A1; CA2925337A1; WO2015050971A1; EP3052872B1; JP2016537599A; CN105637305B; CA2925337C; US20150089968A1; EP3052872A1

Abstract

An improved aircraft air chiller unit particularly suited for an aircraft galley that requires refrigerated or cooled beverage/meal carts and/or chilled storage compartments. The chiller of the present invention takes the form of a line replaceable unit (LRU) and incorporates a liquid-cooled refrigerant vapor compression cycle, arranged in a housing with a vertical orientation. Because of the vertical orientation, ducting on the rear surface of the chiller is omitted, reducing the overall footprint.

Description

There is the aircraft air refrigerator reducing profile

The cross reference of related application

This application claims in the priority of the U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/885,388 of submission on October 1st, 2013 and the U.S. Non-provisional Patent application 14/502,930 in JIUYUE in 2014 submission on the 30th, the content of above-mentioned application entirety by reference is herein incorporated.

Background technology

Food & Drink are provided to be the custom in aircraft industry when flight for passenger and crew. Persistent period according to flight, this service may diminish to beverage and snack extremely for the multiple food and drink of longer time flight. In order to store on board the aircraft, prepare and supply F&B, it is necessary to aircraft is made regulation to maintain F&B by rights safely. For easy putrid food, it means that will keep the fresh and edible environment of product preserves F&B. In most of the cases, it means that a kind of refrigeration system, it can store and frozen food and beverage are until their prepare to be supplied to passenger.

Large commercial passenger aeroplane mainly uses under a kind of optimum temperature that perishable food and non-perishable beverage maintain them in two kinds of cooling systems. For preserving easy putrid food and making some beverage and food better to eat, freezing is necessary, during distance and extra long distance flight route. The first cooling system utilizes the air refrigerator based on equivalent steam circulation, and described air refrigerator utilizes conventional refrigerant vapor compression and expansion technique to generate the frozen air loop of secondary recirculation. Frozen air generally supplies to suitable storage organization (such as kitchen) via heat insulation air, ducted systems and returns from suitable storage organization (such as kitchen). Air refrigerator may be located in kitchen or is mounted adjacent in another part of aircraft fuselage.

The cooling system of the second type utilizes identical conventional refrigerant vapor compression and expansion technique, but cooling medium is frozen liq rather than air. Frozen liq has higher thermal capacity, but requires that more complicated pumping and pipeline infrastructure are to operate this system. Frozen liq is pumped into suitable storage organization (such as kitchen) in the closed circuit and pumps from which. In some cases, frozen liq is configurable for the large centralised system of whole aircraft. In other cases, frozen liq can be circulated to be formed at the galley compartment place of each separation regional area refrigerant circuit, or based on each independent kitchen as independent system. At kitchen place, liquid is passed to heat exchanger via control valve and electronic control system, electric axis blows and aspirates the air area of origin (matrix) by it to (or other) fan and goes to and need freezing storage compartments (compartment) in a heat exchanger, for instance kitchen go-cart separation (bay) or Refrigerated Compartment. Heat exchanger fan and the system that controls (although being not necessarily all) thereof gather together to form frozen air recirculation unit, this frozen air recirculation unit can be assembled in kitchen or be assembled in above kitchen or assembled away from kitchen, or is assembled into galley complex facility.

One shortcoming of these different chiller system is most of free space that they occupy in kitchen, it is obvious that these spaces are valuable in aircraft. It addition, refrigerator tends to very heavy, this is also that they are used in carry-on shortcoming. The problem that there is also collecting condensation and removing, and need to improve heat transference efficiency. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to be have to take less space relative to the conventional freezers system being presently using and reflect the chiller system that weight reduces, it provides the heat transference efficiency of collecting condensation and improvement simultaneously.

Summary of the invention

The present invention is the aircraft air refrigerator unit improved, and its weight ratio is similar lighter and has the overall area occupied of reduction. This close-coupled system is particularly well-suited to board galley, and board galley needs cold preservation or cooling beverage/food trolleys and/or freezer storage compartment. The present invention is also particularly useful for large-scale single channel board galley and uses point (POU) go-cart. The refrigerator of the present invention is located in the cavity of side place establishment of the galley compartment below the work platforms of board galley. In a preferred embodiment, refrigerator adopts the form of Field Replaceable Unit (" LRU "), say, that the assembly can changed at the scene. Refrigerator comprises with the vertically-oriented liquid-cooled refrigerant vapor compression cycle being arranged in housing. Multiple axial fans along upper surface draw air in unit, and in unit, air is introduced in refrigerant vapor compression cycle. In alternative embodiments, axial fan can be replaced by vortex patern fan. Steam circulation includes the vaporizer in compact vertically layout, expansion valve, liquid cooled condenser and compressor. Frozen air is recycled to the bottom of unit from the top of unit, eliminates the needs of air line to refrigerator rear portion place. Eliminating air line makes the desired depth of freezer compartment at least reduce 4 inches, and this expression substantially saves space than existing refrigerator unit. Refrigerator is preferably by Quick disconnection valve for condenser coolant inlet and outlet, itself so that be coupled to aircraft radiator. Display is provided on unit for other operations controlling temperature and this unit.

The position of refrigerator is reduced and frozen air plays a role in the effectively distribution around the handbarrow being arranged on below work platforms or go-cart in kitchen area occupied and weight.

In conjunction with the accompanying drawing of the operation illustrating the present invention in an illustrative manner, described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiment, other features of the present invention and advantage will become more apparent from.

Accompanying drawing explanation

Fig. 1 is the perspective view of the board galley structure of the possible position of the refrigerator illustrating the present invention.

Fig. 2 is the elevated perspective view of the assembly of the first embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is the perspective view of the element of refrigerator unit; And

Fig. 4 is the schematic diagram of the system of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3.

Detailed description of the invention

Fig. 1 illustrates a part for board galley structural framing, illustrated therein is the New Refrigerating device unit position relative to beverage go-cart separation. Kitchen framework 100 includes the multiple compartments above work platforms 110, and wherein the space above work platforms 110 is preserved for various provand equipment, such as coffee machine, refrigerator, food reservoir, vessel storeroom etc. Being a series of separations 120 for holding beverage go-cart (not shown) below work platforms 110, aviation crew promotes described beverage go-cart to bring passenger by F&B along (multiple) passage of aircraft. Beverage go-cart is intentionally maintained at the beverage and easy putrid food that allow to be saved in the inside and the temperature supplied with acceptable temperature. In order to make go-cart maintain suitable temperature, refrigerator unit 140 is positioned at the peripheral compartment 150 specified, and this periphery compartment has air flue above and below for guiding and receiving the air from separation 120. Each separation 120 includes the opening 160 along bottom margin, wherein can pass described opening from the frozen air of adjacent separation, or can pass described opening when the first separation from the frozen air of compartment 150. Air flows in each separation around separation as illustrated by arrow 170, and returns peripheral compartment 150 when air warms. Air is sucked back in refrigerator 140 from the top of compartment 150, is cooled at refrigerator air and is recycled. The compact nature of refrigerator 140 and this unit of vertically-oriented permission thereof are stored in the appointment periphery compartment 150 adjacent with separation 120. Additionally, as described below, the conduit system at the rear surface place eliminating refrigerator 140 makes the necessary degree of depth of compartment 150 at least reduce 4 inches.

Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 illustrates refrigerator unit 140, as described below, and it is particularly well-suited to the kitchen of commercial aircraft. Refrigerator 140 is formed in housing 135 and includes the infrastructure component of steam cycle refrigeration system, including compressor 180, heat exchanger 185, liquid cooled condenser 190 and vaporizer 195. Warm air 215 enters refrigerator by the top of refrigerator 140, and cooled air 220 leaves refrigerator by bottom opening 198, cools down air at bottom opening place and is directed into the separation 120 below kitchen work platform 110. As a part for Air-cooling Process, cooled " supply " air 220 is passed through vaporizer 195 and bottom opening 198 by axial fan 200. The liquid-cooling system of liquid cooled condenser is applied to circulating coolant, for instance propylene glycol water (" PGW "), and described coolant is through liquid cooled condenser 190 and enters the liquid reservoir 205 collecting coolant. Then PGW is pumped into the radiator of aircraft via the quick break part 250 of fluid by liquid pump 210, cooled medium (air or the liquid) cooling of PGW in described radiator. Then cooled PGW flow back in condenser 190 through the quick break part 240 of another fluid to cool down the superheated steam of the cold-producing medium of compressor 180.

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 further illustrates the path of cold-producing medium and frozen air. Circulating refrigerant (such as, R134a, R1234yf or other cold-producing mediums), to be referred to as the thermodynamic state entrance compressor 180 of low-pressure superheated steam and to be compressed to higher pressure, also leads to higher temperature. Then the steam compressed of this heat is in the thermodynamic state being referred to as the superheated steam with elevated pressures and temperature, and it is in and can carry out under the temperature and pressure condensed with coolant body or cooling air. This vapours is pumped through condenser 190, and vapours is cooled by flowing through coil or conduit and is condensed into liquid within the condenser, and wherein cooling liquid or cooling air are directed over outside described coil or conduit. Here it is circulating refrigerant repels, from system, the place that heat and the heat be ostracised are pulled away by circulation liquid or air. It is in the now cooled condensed liquid refrigerant being referred to as saturated thermodynamic state through comprising visor (not shown) and the service block 182 of filter/dryer group piece installing (not shown). Then, cold-producing medium, through the refrigerant heat exchanger 185 for Local cooling, is being sent to heat-shift between the refrigerant liquid of expansion valve 189 and the refrigerant vapour being sent to compressor 180 from vaporizer 195 from service block 182 in this refrigerant heat exchanger. Especially, refrigerant heat exchanger 185 performs refrigerant liquid Local cooling and superheat refrigerant vapor process, is sent to the liquid refrigerant heat transfer of expansion valve 189 to the vapor refrigerant that from vaporizer 195 be sent to compressor 180 via refrigerant heat exchanger 185 from service block 182 by this process. By making cold-producing medium enter before compressor 180 overheated, refrigerant liquid droplets can be prevented from entering compressor 180.

Next cold-producing medium is pumped through expansion valve 189, at this expansion valve place cold-producing medium experience pressure drop. This pressure declines and causes the adiabatic flash (adiabaticflashevaporation) of a part of liquid coolant. The Automatic-cooling effect of adiabatic flash reduces the temperature of liquid and vapor refrigerant mixture, and the temperature reached is colder than the ambient temperature in kitchen beverage go-cart compartment 120. Then cold liquid-vapor mix is pumped through the coil in vaporizer 195 or conduit. Fan 200 crosses delivery from the galley compartment warmer air 215 of suction and has the cold refrigerant liquid of lower pressure and the coil of vapour mixture or conduit. The liquid portion of the refrigerant mixture of this warm air 215 evaporating cold. Therefore, circulation air 220 is cooled when through vaporizer 195, and this cooled air is forced off refrigerator along bottom opening 198, and the air cooled down at bottom opening place is carried and enters adjacent beverage go-cart compartment 120. Vaporizer 195 is that circulating refrigerant absorbs and remove the place of heat, and this heat is ostracised subsequently within the condenser and liquid or air by use in condenser 190 is transferred to elsewhere. Expansion valve 189 can also couple with thermal expansion distal spherical thing (remotebulb) 192. Distal spherical thing 192 can pass through capillary tube and couple with expansion valve 189, and the working gas between described capillary tube connection expansion valve 189 and distal spherical thing 192 leaves the temperature of the cold-producing medium of vaporizer 195 for sensing. Therefore, expansion valve 189 can serve as thermostatic expansion valve and is operated controlling to enter with the temperature according to the cold-producing medium leaving vaporizer 195 flow of the cold-producing medium of vaporizer 195. After cold liquid/vapor mixture leaves expansion valve 189, cold-producing medium is moved through refrigerant tubing system and enters vaporizer 195.

In order to complete kind of refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant vapour being now arranged in its saturated-vapor state carrying out flash-pot 195 is transferred back in compressor 180 by heat exchanger 185.

Refrigerator 140 is preferably incorporated in two the quick break part of fluids (QD) at the rear portion of housing 135. First break part 250 is coupled to tubing 255, and fluid is delivered to aircraft radiator from refrigerator 140 by this tubing, and fluid is supplied to refrigerator 140 from aircraft radiator via tubing 245 by the second break part 240. These Quick disconnection valves 240 and 250 are used to be delivered to condenser and the fluid of heating is carried to aircraft radiator by cooling liquid.

The compact arrangement of refrigerator 140 makes it be highly suitable for aircraft applications. This ability left in small-sized adjacent compartments and to beverage cart separation offer frozen air causes saving weight and the energy, also can save space. In a preferred embodiment, refrigerator unit 140 has the height of 31.5 inches and has trapezoidal profile, and this trapezoidal profile includes the bottom side length of 8.7 inches and has the relative side of 5.9 inchages. In a preferred embodiment, refrigerator has the degree of depth of 34.3 inches, it is allowed to the booth 150 that refrigerator is assembled to contiguous handbarrow separation 120 is internal. It addition, the form of kitchen Field Replaceable Unit or LRU taked by refrigerator 140, make refrigerator can rapidly and easily be removed or be exchanged without dismounting kitchen framework during maintenance or replacing, cause simpler maintenance and less downtime. Because the refrigerator of the present invention does not utilize tubing on sidewall or rear wall, so the area occupied of refrigerator is reduced and does not need tubing to transmit frozen air. Therefore, refrigerator can be assemblied in less compartment, simultaneously the go-cart separation of service same size and quantity.

The present invention is for showing the POU formula chiller system of the contiguous separation of a kind of beverage cart separation for board galley. Generally, this system is effective in remove the overall heat transfer efficiency of condensate and improvement vaporizer and system from vaporizer.

Claims

1., for cooling down the vertically-oriented Field Replaceable Unit refrigerator of the liquid-cooled of Adjacent aircraft kitchen go-cart and a LRU formula refrigerator, it has the area occupied of reduction by eliminating the tubing on peripherally surface, and described LRU formula refrigerator comprises:

Housing, it has along at least one fan of upper surface and the opening in basal surface, and described fan is for drawing air into described refrigerator unit by described upper surface, and described opening is for discharging frozen air by the described bottom of described housing;

Quickly disconnect coupling a pair, for being connected with condenser and aircraft radiator;

Vaporizer, it is set directly at below at least one fan described;

Compressor;

Heat exchanger;

Liquid cooled condenser;

Vaporizer; And

Wherein warm air is discharged by the bottom opening in described housing by upper surface entrance and the frozen air of described housing.

2. the Field Replaceable Unit refrigerator that liquid-cooled according to claim 1 is vertically-oriented, the profile of wherein said housing is trapezoidal.

3. the Field Replaceable Unit refrigerator that liquid-cooled according to claim 1 is vertically-oriented, wherein circulates propylene glycol water by described liquid cooled condenser.

4. the Field Replaceable Unit refrigerator that liquid-cooled according to claim 3 is vertically-oriented, comprises liquid pump further, so that described propylene glycol water is delivered to the radiator described condenser and described aircraft from collecting container pump.

5. the Field Replaceable Unit refrigerator that liquid-cooled according to claim 1 is vertically-oriented, at least one fan wherein said is multiple axial fans.